Category Archives: Signis India

Guwahati — The Signis Asia Focus, a quarterly e-publication of the world Catholic Communications Asia group has run a two page feature on Assam Don Bosco University’s Mass Communication department. The news feature in its May issue is found on pages 9 and 10 of the attached PDF file. Signis Asia Focus-May 2016

SIGNIS Asia Focus is its official quarterly publication. The 20 member countries of Signis Asia are divided into three regions: South Asia (5), East Asia (5) and South East Asia (10) members. South Asia members are: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. East Asia members are: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Maccau and Taiwan. South East Asia members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor Leste.

Signis is the World Catholic Association for Communication. http://www.signis.netSignis was created in November 2001 from the merger between two organizations (Unda, for radio and television; and OCIC, for cinema and audiovisuals) that were both created in 1928. Signis has consultative status with UNESCO, Ecosoc (United Nations in Geneva and New York), and the Council of Europe.

It is officially recognized by the Vatican as a Catholic organization for communication. The secretariat of Signis World is in Brussels, Belgium.

SIGNIS Objectives: Signis’ primary objective is to oversee and coordinate communications activites in the field of cinema, radio, television, audiovisuals, research and training.

Signis also involves itself in film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Venice, Ouagadougou, etc…) and makes the Church’s presence by being a member of the jury in most major film festivals of the world.

Members of Signis World come from all over the world representing 140 nations. Apart from nations, membership is also open to organizations and institutions who have similar objectives.

Member of the National Signis India Executive, Fr Herman is visiting Kolkata en route to Bangkok to attend the FABC OSC (Federation of Asian Bishops Conference Office of Social Communications) meeting.

The two hour long Kolkata meet is being hosted at the Calcutta Rangers Club (Maidan Tent – opp Mohammedan Sporting Club on Red Road) on Sunday 2nd September 2012 from 4 pm to 6 pm.

The Calcutta Rangers Club is one of two Anglo Indian Clubs in the city. It has a green lawn, well-maintained tent with bar, a floodlit basketball court, air conditioned conference room and a canteen for its 300-odd members. The other exclusively Anglo-Indian Club is called The Grail Club.

SIGNIS (World Catholic Association for Communications) is a non-governmental organization that includes members from over 140 countries.

The India chapter of Signis established in 1972 under the name Unda/OCIC (Catholic Association for Radio, TV & Cinema) has some 250 Catholic media professionals spread out in 12 regional groups (Bengal being one) based on the 12 ecclesiastical regions of India.

KOLKATA, (C.M. Paul) — As immediate preparation for the Year of Faith (11 October 2012 to 24 November 2013) Fr Gaston Roberge of St Xavier’s College and SIGNIS India is coordinating lecture tour of award winning TIME magazine reporter of the Vatican II. The three-week programme has Mr Robert Blair Kaiser present the “Human Face of the Council.”

Kaiser’s first India visit marks 50th anniversary of Vatican II Ecumenical Council and kicks off in Kolkata (15th September) with a felicitation programme at St Xavier’s College. In keeping with the Council’s invitation to be more “open to people of other faiths and religion” Kaiser will address inter-religious groups around Kolkata.

Arriving in Kolkata on 13th September from Phoenix, Arizona, Kaiser is expected to travel to Darjeeling, Guwahati, Shillong, Mumbai, Pune, Krishnagar, and New Delhi till 4th October.

“Mr. Kaiser is perhaps the single person who knows best what the Council was about and what message it heralded to the Church and to the world,” says Fr Roberge stating “there is a need to recreate the church not so much in the spirit of the commandments (to be observed for sure) as in that of the Beatitudes that invite us to go beyond commandments.”

“I think this is a great way to start preparations for the Year of Faith,” wrote Signis India president Sunil Lucas in a letter dated 11 August sent to 12 Signis India regions.

Author of five books on Church and burning issues, 81-year old Kaiser speaks with passion and heartfelt concern. His most recent book is entitled: A Church in Search of Itself: Benedict XVI and the Battle for the Future.

Kaiser’s “The Politics of Sex and Religion,” tells the story of how the people of God, not the pope, changed Church teaching on responsible parenthood. His narrative speaks about the papal birth control commission of the 1960s, and its surprising aftermath. The e-version of the book is available free: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/151118

KOLKATA, (C.M. Paul) – The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) Commission for Social Communication and Signis India (Catholic Association for Communications) hosted a four-day seminar for students of theology from the major seminaries in India.

The theme of the seminar was: ‘Social Communication in Theological Formation- Paradigms for Pastoral Leadership’.

Monsignor Paul Tighe from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Rome, inaugurated the 2-5 October seminar held at Nitika Don Bosco, Kolkata.

On 4th October, the 50 plus participants attended a dawn Eucharistic celebration at the tomb of Blessed Mother Teresa. After the Eucharist presided over by Mons Tighe at Blessed Mother Teresa’s tomb, the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity Sr Prema MC met the group and gave out the relics of the blessed.

“This first national seminar was part of the Church’s effort to enable seminarians to integrate communication in their formation and ministry,” said Secretary of the CBCI Commission for Social Communications Salesian Fr. Dr. George Plathottam.

The participants of CPL Kolkata October 2011

He recalled the CBCI statement following its General Assembly in 2004 on the theme “Called to be a Communicating Church” which stated: “Future priests should be adequately formed to proclaim the Word effectively and celebrate the Sacred Mysteries meaningfully. Efforts must be made to improve their communication skills. A proper media course should be part of the seminary curriculum. We urge that communications be integrated into all formation.”

In February 2010 the Commission for Social Communications launched a program for formation in social communication under the title: Communication for Pastoral Leadership (CPL). The 9-credit program for formation of seminarians was promoted across the country through the publication of three resource books and a DVD, a series of training programs for formators and the launching of a website (www.communicationformation.com).

The seminar provided opportunities for the students to make their own presentations on the theme in the form of papers, short films, PowerPoint presentations and posters.

Some 50 students who participated at the seminar came from New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Allahabad and Barrackpore regional theological seminaries. They are expected to promote communication studies in their seminaries through formation of Media Clubs, celebration of World Communication Day, Media Education and other activities.

At the conclusion of CPL, 5 Oct, DBU Vice Chancellor and Mons. Tighe launched the CPL course consisting of a three phase pastoral communications course leading to a diploma granted by DBU. In the coming years, the fully on-line CPL course module open to all, is expected to graduate into an MA degree program.

In February 2010, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications Archbishop Celli launched a programme in Social Communication for the formation of pastoral leaders in India at the CBCI Centre in New Delhi. The three phase program with its specific books and study resources are promoted across the country through a series of workshops, meetings and training programmes.

KOCHI (C.M. Paul) — Just one month after the launch of Don Bosco IMAGE at Vennala, Kochi, with courses in film making, graphic design and animation, the premier Multimedia Centre is organizing a FILM FESTIVAL for movie makers across the globe.
“The objective of Don Bosco Film Festival (DBFF) is to promote the creative and technical skill of the up-coming generation and to enable them to become agents of social transformation for creating a better world,” says festival director and founder director of DB Image Fr Jiji Kalavanal.
“The competition will be held in two categories,” explains Fr Jiji, himself an award wining film director, citing two groups for this year’s festival.
They are: “Short Films and Documentaries” and “Micro Films – documentary and short animation movies.”
Fr Jiji quickly adds, “There is no specific theme for this year’s festival.” However, he assures “the documentary in the micro category is restricted exclusively to any place, cultural festival, historic monument, lifestyle, livelihood and traditions of Kerala.”
The last date of submission to the first ever DBFF festival is 30th October 2010.
A selection committee consisting of a panel of eminent cinema industry personalities will preview and select the movies for the final round to be held at Don Bosco IMAGE, in November 2010.
Attractive cash awards and citations will be awarded to the winners in both categories. For more details visit DBFF2010 official site: http://donboscoimage.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/don-bosco-film-festival/

KOLKATA (C. M. Paul) – The third edition of Mother Teresa International Film festival, scheduled for 26-29 August is set to travel for the first time… MTIFF2010 unlike previous editions will not end with the four day festival at Nandan, West Bengal Government Cinema Centre in Kolkata. It will travel to about one hundred other cities within India, in a relay fashion right up to December 2010,” says festival director Mr. Sunil Lucas.
Simultaneous MTIFF2010 is being hosted nationally and internationally till the end of the year 2010 with the assistance of SIGNIS (Catholic International media Organisation) members across 15 participating countries and counting.
“MTIFF 2010 is absolutely non-commercial in nature with free entry pass/cards and depends entirely on generous benefactors for all unavoidable expenses like taxes, venue, screenings, publicity, printing and stationary,” adds the Signis-Bengal president, Sunil Lucas. “It is open to the general public.”
To take the concept of a “travelling” film festival even further, MTIFF2010 has gone out on rail – the Indian Railways is adding a dedicated coach to the Mother Teresa Heritage Exhibition train which will be touching places across India, spending days at major stations, for public to visit and watch a selection of the movies from MTIFF2010.
On the occasion of Mother Teresa birth centenary, the Central Railway Minister, Bengal’s own Mamata Banerjee, besides flagging off the heritage train, 26 August Mother Teresa’s birthday, will also re-name Kolkata’s Metro Rail Park Street station as Mother Teresa Station.
In addition, Metro Rail will screen a couple of festival films through its closed circuit television system, across its network of 23 stations, during the MTIFF 2010 Kolkata festival days.
For well wishers and Mother Teresa fans across the world, MTIFF2010 has its own TV station – on the web. Viewers can watch FestTV on www.mti

ff2010.org for videos by SIGNIS Student Video Journalists as well as trailers, interviews and testimonies of common people on Mother Teresa. In addition to two channels, there is even a web channel for live coverage of MTIFF2010 from Nandan cine complex.
MTIFF 2010 has 15 official films from seven countries (Japan, USA, Italy, Spain, Canada, Lebanon and India) with two full length feature films, one short feature film as well as 12 documentary films of various duration. More than half the films will have their premier shows in India.
The first ever MTIFFs was held in Kolkata to mark Mother’s beatification in 2003 and a second MTIFF was held in Berhampore to mark her 10th death anniversary and the installation of her larger than life statue at the Murshidabad district headquarters in Berhampore, 2007.

KOLKATA, (C.M. Paul) – Setting new trend in international film festivals, director of MTIFF 2010 (Mother Teresa International Film Festival) Kolkata announced a festival hall at the main festival venue totally dedicated for screening of films for the physically challenged.
“What we are providing in MTIFF Kolkata is something that has never been done in any international film festivals. We have a hall with ramp access and wheel chair accommodation exclusively for the specially abled,” says MTIFF director Mr. Sunil Lucas who has been associated with all three MTIFFs (2003 & 2007).
The festival is being hosted at the West Bengal State Film Centre at Nandan (1/1 A.J. C. Bose Road) which has four projection halls. Besides granting Nandan cine halls, 1, 2 and 3 for the four day festival, absolutely free, Nandan director has also put at the disposal of MTIFF organizers a fourth hall exclusively for the physically challenged. Nandan 4 can accommodate wheelchairs, as it has no fixed seating.
“Besides the handicapped persons from Missionaries of Charity homes, our target audience for this special screening would be inmates from Kolkata’s leading centres for the physically challenged like Manovikas Kendra, Asha Niketan, Mentaid, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy and Spastic Society,” says Mr. Lucas.
Films selected for the screening includes the only Mother Teresa animation film entitled Fifth Word from Spain . Other short films listed for screening are My Karma, Seeing the Face of Jesus, Precious Love, Revelation in Kolkata and Missionaries of Charity.
Previews of some previously unannounced films may also be show during the special screenings, with limited public entry.
All through the festival days (26-29 August) Nandan cine complex will be illuminated in Mother Teresa’s colours (white and blue).